Wednesday, February 16, 2011

We hope, by now, that you've heard about the two horrible bills introduced in the House that restrict abortion access and funding. The "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" (HR3) would penalize companies--in the form of tax credits--that offer health plans that cover abortion and would deny federal subsidies to people who have abortion-covered healthcare. And the "Protect Life Act" (HR358) would "prohibit federal funds from being used to cover any part of the costs of a health plan that includes coverage of abortion services."

On top of this, the Republican led House is trying to completely eliminate the Title X Family Planning Program in the FY2011 federal budget (continuing resolution HR1).

Yes, FAMILY PLANNING in the United States is on the chop-block.

Title Xis the ONLY federal funding dedicated to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and critical related preventive health services. Title X is "designed to provide access to contraceptive services, supplies and information to all who want and need them. By law priority is give to person from low-income families." For many women across the country, this crucial family planning care is the only medical they receive each year.

According to Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood "The real impact of eliminating the Title X program is that millions of women across the country will lose access to basic primary and preventive health care, such as lifesaving cancer screenings, contraception, STI testing and treatment, and annual exams...For every public dollar invested in family planning, taxpayers save nearly $4." Title X saves taxpayers money, and more importantly it saves women's lives.

Along with cutting $318 billion for Title X family planning, check out just a few of the other programs the continuing resolution will cut (compared to FY 2010 levels):

$110 million from the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (eliminating all funding)

$1.4 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

$747 million for the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC)

$50 million for Maternal and Child Health Block Grants

$1.6 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)Thanks to SIECUS for this budget analysis:

WE CAN NOT STAND FOR THIS. TAKE ACTION NOW!

So what can we do to have our voices heard?

We ask you to join in solidarity with Choice USA as part of a National Youth Call-In. Please call your Representatives TODAY and let them know you support reproductive justice.

As a young person/student living in _________ (city/state/district), I am calling Representative ___________ to urge him/her to vote ‘no’ on HR 3 , the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act and HR 358, the Protect Life Act.

In addition, I strongly urge __________ to not vote to cut funding for Title X Family Planning, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, and other programs for women and children. Abortion access, preventative services, and health and wellness programs are vitally important to young people's lives.

As a young person that votes in this district, I believe that taking away insurance coverage for abortion and family planning services disproportionately hurts young people, who are more likely to live in poverty and at a higher risk for unintended pregnancy. We should be protecting the health and decision-making power of young people, not stripping it away. In short, these restrictions hurt everyone.

Young people voted in record numbers in the past two elections for more jobs. We want and need jobs, not restricted reproductive healthcare. If you support us now by voting down HR 3 and HR 358, we will support you by giving you our votes in 2012. Please vote with young people, not against us.

Do you know if Representative ___________ is planning to oppose these bills?

Call your reps, and make the youth voice heard!! Tell all your friends about these draconian bills and encourage them to call in, too!

P.S. Don't forget to wear a silver ribbon to show solidarity for reproductive rights.

1 comment:

I think you bring up some good points of the other dollars that Title X money goes to. The focus always seems to be on abortion, but by law Title X money is specifically not allowed to fund clinics where abortion is a method of contraception. Why do tapayers think it is ok to limit education, contraceptive counseling & preventative screenings to women? What will these low-income women do without these services? We are not fixing a problem by slashing Title X funds, we are creating a whole new set whose outcome will ultimately cost the taxpayer more money than it already does.

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